New Life
by steelefan
Summary: Continuation of "The Great Race", Jenna is pregnant with Balto's pups, but is Balto ready to be a father?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: You're What?**

"Balto, I'm pregnant." Jenna said in a low tone.

"Jenna, you're what?" Balto said in a serious tone.

Balto looked over at Steele who was just as stunned as he was. Balto slowly walked over to the shore line and looked into the water, he then got up and walked backed over to Jenna.

"Jenna, I'm so happy, I can't wait to be a father." Balto said in a slightly nervous tone.

"Jenna, I think I need to talk to Balto for a little bit. Would you like me to walk you home?" Steele offered.

"No thank you Steele, I'll walk home, I understand that Balto is surprised, I'll leave you two to talk." Jenna said kissing Balto on the cheek and walking off towards her house.

Balto and Steele sat on the shore line while Balto stared into his reflection in the water.

"Balto, what are your thoughts?" Steele said limping over to Balto.

"Steele, am I ready to be a father?" Balto said still staring into his reflection.

"Balto of course you are. You're a great dog; you'll make a great father." Steele said patting Balto on the back.

"Thanks Steele, I'm glad you could e here to help." Balto said giving the malamute a smile.

"No problem Balto, it's what friends are for." Steele said returning the smile.

"Thanks Steele." Balto said. Balto sat looking at his reflection for another thirty seconds until speaking up.

"Hey Steele?"

"Yes Balto?" Steele said looking at the wolfdog.

"Have you ever taken care of pups before? Do you know how it is?" Balto asked desperately.

"Not really Balto, I never had a mate." Steele said.

"Alright well, lets go home." Balto said walking towards the house.

Balto and Steele walked back to their house at relatively slow pace, partly because of Steele only had three legs, and partly because Balto had no idea what to think. He never thought that he would become a father so quickly and now, he had to learn to take care of a family. The two dogs walked home and went to sleep.

A few weeks later, Jenna was in the vet's office getting her puppies checked out. Balto had come to see how his unborn children were doing.

"Hey Jenna, how are the pups?" Balto asked rubbing Jenna's belly.

"They seem to be just fine." Jenna said nuzzling her mate.

"How many are there?" Balto asked.

"I don't know yet, the Doctor isn't back with the ultrasound yet." Jenna said looking at the door.

Just then the Doctor walked in with a picture of Jenna's stomach in his hands.

"Well looks like you're going to have six puppies Jenna." The Doctor said walking over to the two dogs.

Jenna barked in response to the Doctor's statement and rubbed against his hand. The Doctor then walked out of the room and went to go talk to Jenna's owners. Balto and Jenna remained in the room until the inevitable happened.

"Balto, I think my water just broke." Jenna said beginning to pant heavily.

"What?! Not now!." Balto said. Balto barked to get the vet's attention. The vet then ran in to see that Jenna was now going into labor.

"Okay Jenna, just push girl, you're alright, just push." The Doctor said in a reassuring tone.

Jenna whined and panted until finally the puppies arrived.

**Chapter one, hope you liked it.**


	2. Realization

**Chapter 2: realization.**

Jenna lied on the table as four puppies cried and got nursed by their mother, originally, there where six puppies but two of them hadn't survived child birth. The four puppies that remained where named Saba, Dingo, Kodi, and Aleu. Kodi was red and cream colored like his mother with a red stripe that went from his head to the tip of his nose. Saba was identical to Jenna, with the same colors and everything. Dingo had similar markings as Kodi but had blue eyes with yellow around the blue. Aleu was sandy brown with a slightly lighter underbelly with blue eyes. As the puppies nursed, Balto walked into the room to greet his new pups.

"Jenna, their beautiful!" Balto exclaimed running over to the puppies.

"They are Balto, like you." Jenna said nuzzling him.

"What are their names?" Balto asked patting one of the pup's head's.

"Saba, Dingo, Aleu, and Kodi." Jenna said pointing each one out.

"When can we take them home?" Balto asked.

"Today, my owner's are taking them to that shed in the back of the house." Jenna said, trying to keep the pups on the table with her.

"Well, I should get going now so you can get them comfortable, I'll come see you in about two hours." Balto said walking out of the room.

Balto walked out of the room and went to wait for Steele who was getting his injuries checked out to make sure they had healed correctly. Balto sat in the waiting room; anxious and nervous about his new children. He had no idea what to think now that he had kids, he didn't have a clue on how to raise puppies. He sat there; tapping his paw on the floor until Steele walked out.

"Hey Steele, how did it go?" Balto asked walking over to the malamute.

"It went fine, you seem nervous, what's wrong?" Steele asked.

"I don't know, I'm just really nervous about being a father. I still don't know if I'm ready." Balto said nervously.

"Balto, I understand you're nervous but, you're a great dog. I know you'll be a good father because, I know you care about Jenna. I could've never been a good mate for Jenna because I was so thick headed to care." Steele said starting get embarrassed. "I'm glad you get to be the father of her pups. I want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here for you."

"Thanks Steele, I really needed that." Balto said smiling at Steele.

Steele and Balto walked back to the house and they sat in living room. Steele was trying to calm Balto down as being a parent sunk into him. A few blocks over, Jenna was getting the pups settled in the dog bed. Jenna was expecting Balto to come by soon and spend some time with his puppies, what she didn't know was that Balto wasn't coming but instead, she saw a three legged malamute enter the room; sit down; and sigh.

"Jenna, Balto isn't coming for a while." Steele said looking at the ground.


	3. What To Do

**Chapter 3: What To Do.**

"What do you mean Balto isn't coming?" Jenna said getting nervous.

"Jenna, Balto is really scared to be a father right now. When we got home, he had a panic attack because he was so scared. He really doesn't know what to do." Steele explained in a calm voice.

"Did he say when he was coming back?" Jenna asked concerned.

"He said he wouldn't be long, he just needs to talk to some people about it." Steele said.

"Alright, as long as he's back soon. I don't want him to be on edge around the pups." Jenna said.

Steele's and Jenna's attention turned towards the pups, who where all sleeping around Jenna to keep warm. All four of them where in a small little pile around Jenna's front legs, and she was gently stroking them as they slept.

"They're so cute Jenna." Steele said, slowly walking towards her.

"Aren't they precious? Little Saba and Kodi love to wrestle each other. Aleu is a little howler, and Dingo's a sleeper." Jenna said happily but quietly so she wouldn't wake them up.

"They are adorable." Steele said reaching to pet Kodi as he whimpered and rolled around with Saba.

"Come on Kodi, let Uncle Steele see you." Jenna said nudging Kodi over to Steele. Steele was quite shocked and happy to know that Jenna considered him to be a part of the family. Steele decided, that since he was a real jerk before, that he would do his best to be the best Uncle he could. As Steele reached his paw into the bed, Kodi grabbed his leg and tried to wrestle it. Since the pup's eyes where not opened yet, they tried to feel for anything solid to grab hold of, and Steele's paw seemed to be the right size for Kodi to attack. Steele chuckled as Kodi bit his paw, trying to defeat it. He then pulled his paw away and nudged Kodi back to Jenna.

"they're so rowdy Jenna, you sure do have your work cut out for you." Steele chuckled. Steele then got up to leave so that Jenna could be alone with her new bourns, until Jenna spoke up.

"Wait Steele, do you mind staying here until Balto shows up? I'm a little nervous one of these guy's is gonna get out." Jenna said.

"Sure Jenna, I'll stay." Steele said walking back over to her.

About one mile outside of Nome, Balto was sitting in a small clearing in the woods. He was waiting for someone to come meat him there. He was waiting for his friend Sam, Sam was a black Alaskan Malamute that he had met about two months after the Serum run. Soon, Balto saw the large dog walk into the forest, and he ran up to him.

"Hey Balto, what's up?" Sam asked in a relaxed voice. Sam had always been a really relaxed dog, no matter what the situation was, so he was a good person to turn to for Balto.

"Well Sam, I've got some problems going on." Balto said.

"What's wrong Balto?" Sam asked.

"Well, Jenna had puppies, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to be a father yet. I'm just really nervous I'll do something wrong." Balto said concerned.

"Balto, I know you too well, you shouldn't be nervous at all. Ever since I met you, you always knew what to do." Sam said patting Balto on the back.

"Thanks Sam, I skipped seeing the pups to come talk to you." Balto said looking at the ground.

"You skipped seeing your new bourn children! Go see them now! You're their father, they need you." Sam said sternly. Since Sam was young, he had to take care of his younger sister when their parents died, and he knew what it was like to need his parents.

"Alright Sam, thanks for your help." Balto said happily.

Balto walked down to Jenna's house and went inside. He walked up to Rosy, who lead him to the shed where Jenna and the pups where.

"Jenna, I'm sorry I didn't come earlier." Balto said walking into the room.

"It's alright Balto, Steele explained that you needed to talk to someone, I understand." Jenna said with a smile.

"Thanks Jenna, I'm here now though, how are they?" Balto said walking up to Jenna and the pups.

"They seem to be good, they like Steele." Jenna said. Balto walked over to the pups and smiled. He took one look at them and he was so proud to be a father.

"Hey guys, I'm your papa." Balto said reaching his paw into the bed. All four pups walked over to Balto and yelped at him, they knew he was their father.

"Aw, their so precious Jenna." Balto said as he pushed the pups towards Jenna.

Balto and Steele spent about forty-five minutes with the pups until they had to get back home. About three weeks passed, and Balto noticed something slightly worrying about Kodi.


	4. Worrying News

**Chapter 4: Worrying News.**

One morning, Balto decided to go and visit Jenna with the pups. As Balto arrived at Jenna's house, her sister Sheema was sitting outside the shed.

"Morning Sheema, come to see the pups?" Balto asked walking over to the female husky.

"Balto, you need to meat Jenna at the vet's office. She thinks that there's something wrong with Kodi, he's been breathing heavily whenever him and the other pups are playing. She told me to baby sit the others while she goes to the vet's with Kodi, she also told me to tell you when you got here." Sheema said.

"Alright Sheema, thanks, I'm gonna go to the vet's now." Balto said.

Balto ran off towards the vet's office as fast as he could. Along the way, he spotted Sam and Steele talking by the post office.

"Hey Balto, where are you going?" Steele said, trying to stop Balto.

"Hey Steele, Sam. I can't talk now, Kodi's in the vet's office." Balto said panting as he spoke.

"Balto, what happened?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, Sheema told me that Jenna took him there in a rush." Balto responded.

"Would you like us to tag along?" Steele asked.

"If you want too." Balto told them.

"Alright well I'll go, what about you Sam?" Steele said looking at Sam.

"I can't, I have to get going now, I'll see you guys soon." Sam said walking towards his house.

"Alright, see you later." Balto said walking off with Steele. Balto and Steele quickly arrived at the vet's office and they both entered the building. As they entered, Balto went to look for Jenna, and Steele went to sit in the corner so he could catch his breath, since running was quite hard for him now that he only had three legs.

"You know… you… could've… slowed… down." Steele said panting.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried." Balto said. Just then Jenna walked into the waiting room.

"Hey Balto, hey Steele, you two want to know what happened?" Jenna asked.

"Of course Jenna, what's wrong with him?" Balto asked.

"Well, I heard the Doctor say that he has a week heart and that's why he was always panting whenever he was playing to rough." Jenna told them.

"But Jenna, he wants to be a sled dog." Steele said worryingly.

Jenna sighed. "I know, I'm not sure what to tell him."

"Would you like me to talk to him?" Steele asked.

"Will you? I think he would like that." Jenna said leading them to his room. The three dogs walked into the small room and walked over to his table.

"Hey son, how are you feeling?" Balto asked.

"Hi dad, I'm alright I was just out of breath that's all." Kodi said in a little puppy voice. Balto and Steele looked at Jenna, they realized that he had no idea what was wrong with him so Steele decided that this was the best time to talk to Kodi.

"Alright, I'm gonna talk to Kodi, you two wait outside." Steele told them.

"Alright Steele. Kodi, I'll see you in a few minutes." Balto said walking out of the room with Jenna.

"Hi Uncle Steele." Kodi said to the large malamute.

"Hi Kodi. There's something I have to tell you. Kodi, the Doctor found out that you have a week heart, and that's why you where always out of breath." Steele said in the best voice he could. "You're going to have to take it easy on yourself or you'll get hurt, you'll have to take it easy when you run, you can't run for an extremely long distance. You're going to need a break for a bit, and, you can't play so rough with you brothers and sisters."

Kodi looked at Steele for a moment until a tear fell, than he buried his head into his paws. He started to cry heavily into his paws, and he did his best to hide his face. Steele sat there for a moment and a tear fell from his eye as well. He remembered all to well what it felt like to be told that he had to take it easy for a while. He decided to tell Kodi about his puppy hood and how he was in a similar state.

"Kodi, look at me." Steele said. Kodi obeyed and looked at Steele; tears still fell from his eyes. "When I was a little pup, I learned that I had a lot of problems when it came to keeping up with the other pups. I went to the vet one day and they said that I had a heart murmur and that I would never make a good sled dog. So, I trained really hard and learned to work with it, I started taking longer strides so that I went farther with each step. When I got into a fight a few months ago, I got hurt really bad and as you can see, I'm a three legged dog. When I was lying in my bed, all I could think was what I was gonna do now. However, when I finally got my casts off, I had to learn to walk again and let me tell you, it's tiring trying to walk for me. I can't run and I get tired quickly but, I'm working with it, I'm trying my best and I'm getting better. All you have to do is try, I promise that you're gonna be a sled dog, I'll make sure of that."

"Uncle Steele? Thank you." Kodi said as he jumped up and hugged the large malamute.

"You're welcome Kodi, now, lets get you home." Steele said walking out of the room with Kodi on his back. Steele and Kodi walked out of the vets office and went over to Balto and Jenna.

"Hey guys." Steele said.

"Hey Steele, how's Kodi?" Jenna asked.

"I'm okay mom." Kodi said jumping off Steele's back.

"Well that's good, lets get you home, say goodbye to dad and uncle Steele for the night." Jenna said.

"Good night dad, good night Uncle Steele, I won't forget your promise." Kodi said as he walked away with Jenna. Jenna was soon out of sight and Balto and Steele began their walk home.

"What did you promise him?" Balto asked.

"I told him that I was gonna do everything I could to get him to be a sled dog." Steele said.

"What? Why!? You can't even run! How will you be able to train him or help him." Balto said.

"Look, Balto, he really wants to be a sled dog, and since I tried to ruin your chances, I want to make it up by getting him on a team." Steele said.

"Steele, I can't thank you enough for trying to help, but he can't be on a sled team. His heart can't handle it." Balto said.

"Balto, did you ever know that I have a heart murmur? I wasn't supposed to be a sled dog but look at what I was able to do. I became the leader of the team and I was the most famous dog around, I can help him. Please Balto, let me help." Steele said.

"Alright, you can try." Balto said.

"Thanks Balto, I won't let you down." Steele said happily. The two dogs arrived home and settled down for the nigh, ready for an exciting day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Starting Out.**

The next day, Steele woke up early to go and find Kodi so they could start training. By the time he left, Balto was still sleeping but he knew he had to start early if Kodi was going to succeed. As he walked to Jenna's house, he kept thinking about what Balto had said the previous night. He kept thinking he wouldn't succeed in getting Kodi on a sled team and it made him feel like he promised him something he couldn't do. Steele knew that he would have to train Kodi verbally for two reasons: one; Steele was much bigger than Kodi, and built differently, so he would be able to do things Kodi couldn't and vice versa, and two; Steele himself couldn't run, having only three legs made it imposable for him to run the same way. So, with these thoughts in mind he went up to Jenna's house and barked three times to tell her he was there. About thirty seconds later, Jenna came to the door and let him in.

"Good morning Jenna, how are you?" Steele asked.

"Doing alright Steele. I'm gonna guess you're here to get Kodi?" Jenna asked leading him to the back room.

"Yes I am, is he ready?" Steele asked.

"Of course he is, he's been talking about it non stop." Jenna said happily.

"Good, I'm glad he's excited." Steele said. Jenna walked into the back room and brought Kodi outside. He was so excited that Steele was going to teach him how to be a sled dog, and Steele was happy that Kodi looked up to him. Balto would always tell Steele that whenever he would go to visit without him, Kodi would always ask where Steele was, and that made Steele feel great. Kodi walked over to Steele and barked happily, ready to start training.

"Hi Uncle Steele! What are we gonna start with?" the young pup asked excitedly.

"Well I thought we could start with some stretches, I learned the hard way that running right after your body was dormant, makes you strain the muscles.

"What kinda stretches do I do?" Kodi asked.

"Start with stretching out your back and legs by kneeling down in an attack position and then push forward, without moving your back legs then, do the same with the back." Steele said. Kodi did as he was told and he started stretching out his body while Steele pondered what to do next. After the young pup was done, Steele gave his next instructions.

"Now, I want you to run back and forth across the yard." Steele said.

"How many times?" Kodi asked.

"As long as you can, it'll give me an idea of how long you can go." Steele said. Kodi nodded and began sprinting back and forth but after only three runs, he stopped out of breath.

"Uncle Steele, I can't go any farther." Kodi said.

"And I think I know a way to get around it. You need to do what I did, take longer steps to make yourself travel farther with less energy." Steele told him. Kodi rested for five minutes and got up to do it again, this time, he made six and half runs across the yard.

"Good job Kodi, you're progressing well." Steele said walking over to the small pup.

"You think so?" Kodi said.

"Of course, you're about where I was when I was training as a pup. I think you're gonna progress very well." Steele said. The two dogs continued their training for a little while longer until Steele decided it was enough for one day.

"Alright Kodi, you did great today, tomorrow we can work on your agility." Steele said.

"Okay Uncle Steele, see you tomorrow!" Kodi said running back into the house. Steele began his trip home when Sam found him.

"Hey Steele, watcha up to?" Sam said enthusiastically.

"Nothing much, just done training Kodi a bit and now I'm going home." Steele said.

"Interesting, I'm actually heading over to see Balto." Sam said.

"Sounds good, got any plans?" Steele asked.

"We're gonna go meat Sheema in the boiler room, wanna come with?" Sam asked.

"Sure, I got nothin' better to do." Steele said. The two dogs continued their chat until they got to the boiler room where Sheema and Balto were already waiting.

"Hey guys." Sam said excitedly.

"Hey Sam, Steele." Sheema said.

"So Steele, I heard that you're training Kodi to be a sled dog?" Sheema said.

"Yes I am, I thought it would be nice to teach him." Steele said.

"Well it sounds great, what made you want to do it?" Sheema asked.

"Well, since I tried my hardest to ruin Balto's career, I thought it would be the right thing to do to pay him back." Steele said.

"Well that's nice of you, I hope you get somewhere with him." Sheema said.

The rest of the night, the dogs continued to talk. After they where done with hanging out, Balto and Steele began their walk home.

"So Steele, how was Kodi today?" Balto asked.

"He was great, he shows some real good signs of becoming a great sled dog." Steele said.

"How so?" Balto asked.

"He can run a long time if he does it right, I don't mean to brag, but he was progressing at the same rate I was." Steele said.

"Wow, that's amazing." Balto said. The two dogs went inside the house and lied down for a nights rest. The next day, Steele got up early again and went over to Jenna's house. When he arrived, he saw Kodi waiting for him outside.

"Hey Kodi, you're up early." Steele said walking towards the pup.

"cuz I'm excited, what are we gonna do today?" Kodi asked running up to the malamute.

"We're gonna start with agility." Steele said.

"Okay Uncle Steele." Kodi said getting up.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do, you're going to run in a zig-zag formation so you can learn to take corners." Steele said.

"Are you gonna run with me Uncle Steele?" Kodi asked.

"Sorry Kodi, I can't run, but don't worry, I'll be right here as usual." Steele said sitting in a corner of the yard. Kodi began running around the yard and ran through obstacle courses that Steele set up for him. Kodi progressed fantastically as he kept training. Months passed and soon, Kodi was a year and half old, and was ready to go on a sled team. His owner signed him up for a local sled team to deliver the mail and soon, his new team was going to compete in a sled race.

"Well Kodi, you're doing a great job with this, are you ready to be in a race?" Steele said to the now fully grown Kodi.

"I think so Uncle Steele, do you think I'm ready?" Kodi asked as the two dogs walked down to meet the two sled teams competing.

"Kodi, I know you're ready, this race is going to define your career as a sled…." Steele stopped right in his tracks as he looked at the opposing team. There, at the front of the team, was Blake. Blake was the very dog that had ripped Steele apart and caused him to lose his leg. Steele stopped and backed up a few feet.

"Uncle Steele, what's wrong?" Kodi asked.

"You see that dog at the front of the line? Well he's the one who caused me to only have three legs, last time I saw him, he was attacked by your father, I guess he can race again." Steele said.

"Well lets go confront him, he might not even remember you." Kodi said starting to walk. Steele and Kodi walked towards the two teams. Steele gulped and walked up to Blake, even though they where the same size, Blake was more vicious. Blake saw him and walked over to him.

"Hello Steele, I see you're walking around again." Blake said sarcastically.

"No thanks to you, you made me have to lay in a bed day and night, having to be taken care of because I couldn't even get a drink." Steele said in his low; mocking tone. "But, I must say, you recovered nicely."

"Well, yes, I had to get back on the team so I needed to start training again. You don't happen to be on a sled team, do you Steele?" Blake said with a sinister smile.

"What do you think, I can barely walk." Steele said narrowing his eyes. Steele didn't like getting mean anymore but, he did when he had too.

"Well, I can't say I'm shocked. Is this one on a sled team?" Blake asked referring to Kodi who was standing next to Steele the whole time.

"Yes." Kodi said quickly.

"What's the problem kid? Don't like talking to me?" Blake said mockingly.

"Leave him alone Blake, leave Balto's son out of this." Steele said sharply.

"Oh so he's Balto's kid, I'll keep that in mind." Blake said walking away. Steele stood there with Kodi for a moment until Balto walked up behind them.

"Steele, was that Blake?" Balto asked walking up to the malamute.

"Yes." Steele said sharply. Ever since Steele apologized to Balto, he never once snapped words out at him like that.

"Steele, thank you for defending Kodi, and don't worry, he won't do anything." Balto said. Steele growled quietly and walked off, ever since he met Blake, he always got mad so, he decided to walk away before he snapped at Balto. Kodi never saw Steele get angry like that and it scared him, he never thought his Uncle would get so frustrated over this dog. Balto and Kodi walked up to Kodi's sled team and got him hooked in. Blake sat with his teammates who unknowingly, where going to be sucked into a devilish plot.


	6. Plans

**Chapter 6: Plans.**

Blake stood with his team, he was thinking of ways that he could sabotage Kodi to get back at Balto. While Blake stood with his team, Kodi was getting ready for the race with his team.

"Well Kodi, do good out there." Balto said walking up to his son.

"Thanks dad, is Uncle Steele gonna be alright?" Kodi asked.

"Kodi, Uncle Steele is gonna be fine, he's just upset right now. Why don't you go out there and have fun and I'll take care of him." Balto said with a smile.

"Thanks dad, I'll make you proud." Kodi said returning the smile.

"Alright son, do good." Balto said walking away. Kodi got into line and then the musher fired off his gun and the teams were off. About two miles away, Steele was sitting in his house; trying to calm himself down. Steele hated that Balto put Blake through hell and he was still able to recover. He also regretted telling Balto not to kill him, he thought it would make him change and like Steele but instead, he went back to his old ways. Steele sat there gnawing on a bone when Balto walked in.

"Hey Steele." Balto said with a smile.

Steele groaned in response and turned his head away.

"Steele, what's getting you?" Balto asked walking over to Steele.

"It's Blake, I thought he would've changed by now." Steele grumbled.

"Steele, I understand it upsets you, but some dogs just can't change, I'm sorry Steele." Balto said hugging Steele. Steele then did something Balto never thought he would do, he started crying into Balto's arms.

"Steele, don't cry." Balto said.

"I'm sorry Balto, I tried my best but now, Blake is gonna hurt Kodi." Steele said still weeping.

"Steele, Blake isn't gonna get away with anything." Balto said.

"I know he isn't. I''' make sure of it." Steele said. "Balto, I need to learn how to run again."

"Steele, are you sure you're ready?" Balto asked.

"Yes, I just need to try really hard." Steele said. With these thoughts in mind, Steele and Balto went out to start training again. Steele knew that it was gonna be hard, but he felt like he had to do it. About fifty miles away, Kodi and his team where stopping for a rest with the other team. Blake was un hinged from his harness and his team went off to talk with the other team. Blake then stopped his teammates and began to speak to them.

"Alright guys, I know you want a break but you all need to rest, we have to win." Blake said. Since the team feared Blake, they did as he said. The team went to go rest and Blake went up to Kodi.

"Hey Kodi, how is your team holding up?" Blake asked sarcastically.

"They're fine Blake." Kodi snapped.

"What's the problem Kodi? You don't like me?" Blake said with an evil grin.

"No, you hurt my Uncle, why would I like you?" Kodi said, squinting his eyes.

"Well then, since you don't like me, I guess I won't be taking much of a loss if I do this." Blake then jumped on top of Kodi and started to fight him. Kodi tried his best to fight back and luckily, Blake was still hurt so it took more out him to fight Kodi.

"What's wrong Blake? Can't take a few hits?" Kodi said mockingly.

"Shut up." Blake said while he coughed up some blood. "But you forgot about one thing, I play dirty." Blake jumped at Kodi and was about to throw Kodi off the edge of a cliff when Balto and Steele popped up out of no where. But, what happened since Steele started training again? Lets go back in time and look at what was going on in Nome…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Back in Nome, Steele and Balto are training so that Steele could run again. Since Steele was so angry with Blake, he did his very best to do better. Balto was watching as Steele built up new techniques to run faster.

"Steele, are you sure you don't want to take a break; you've been running for a while now, you must be tired." Balto said moving is head back and forth as Steele ran past.

"No way Balto, I need to be good." Steele said as he ran by.

"Do you think you can beat Blake?" Balto asked as Steele grinded to a halt.

"I think so, do you think I can?" Steele asked.

"Well lets see." Balto said. Balto then quickly ran to the side of Steele and tripped him by knocking his one good back leg out from under him. "There's your problem. You need to be more ready for him to attack you from the side."

"Well, it's kind of hard to not fall when I have nothing else to balance on." Steele said getting up.

"What you need to do is learn to be faster than him at dodging things. Blake will know that going for your back leg is going to be a disadvantage for you, you need to be quick so that he can't get to your leg." Balto said.

"Alright, so why don't we try some moves so I can learn to dodge them." Steele said.

"Okay, I'm gonna do some things that he did to me so you can dodge them. Don't be afraid to grab me and throw me, we need to get his fighting style down so we need to make it real." Balto said getting ready for the first attacks. Balto jumped at Steele and he quickly jumped out of the way. Balto then went for Steele's leg and Steele grabbed Balto's leg and threw him into the snow.

"Not bad Steele, I think you'll learn quickly." Balto said. Balto and Steele then kept on training and slowly, Steele became almost invincible. They began their trip to find Kodi and his team, they figured out which way they went rather quickly and soon, they stumbled upon them. Balto and Steele quickly ran out of the bushes to find Kodi and Blake fighting. Steele ran towards Blake but stopped in his tracks when he saw that Kodi was about to fall off the edge of a cliff.

"Blake! Put him down!" Steele screamed.

"Why? It's funny to watch the runt cower." Blake said in an evil tone.

"Let him go Blake, your issue is between you and me." Balto said walking over to Blake.

"As much as I want to throw him down this cliff, I do want to kill you more so, lets go!" Blake said. Blake then jumped at Balto but then got intercepted by Steele. Steele threw Blake into a nearby tree and leaped after him. Blake tried to get Steele by tripping his good leg, but Steele learned how to evade his shots and was able to draw him close to the edge of the cliff.

"Alright Blake, I will give you two choices. Either you leave here and never return or, I throw you off this cliff now, your choice." Steele said narrowing his eyes. Blake stood there panting; trying to figure out what to do.

**Ok, I'm asking all of you what Blake should do. So leave a comment and tell me what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Blake stood at the edge of cliff staring into Steele's eyes. For the first time ever since Blake had known Steele, he saw Steele in his old state, he saw what the malamute's eyes looked like when he had nothing on his mind except the word "kill". Blake stood at the edge and looked down, than he looked at Steele.

"You wouldn't dare throw me off this cliff, you don't have the balls to do it!" Blake sneered. Steele then narrowed his eyes and took a step forward to show that he would do it.

"You do _not_ wanna test me." Steele said through gritted teeth.

"Steele, come on buddy, you wouldn't hurt me, right?" Blake said nervously.

"I don't want too, but I will if I have too." Steele said only inches from Blake's face.

"But Steele, come on, we're friends." Blake said stuttering a bit.

"Friends? Friends! You think you're my friend! You hurt me ever since you met me, you never even gave me a chance with you! And then, you tried to kill me!" Steele yelled.

"Look at what you did Steele! You where a monster, you tried to kill Balto, why should I have given you a chance!" Blake yelled back.

"I know I was a monster, but I changed, the least you could've done is left me alone. You also tried to kill Balto! You deserve to suffer!" Steele said. Blake looked at Steele, he didn't know what to do at this point. Blake then looked down the cliff and looked at Steele again and spoke.

"I'm sorry." Blake said. Blake then did something that no one was expecting, he jumped. Steele immediately looked down the cliff and watched Blake hit the bottom. He then looked back at Balto and Kodi who where in shock. Steele then felt a tear run down his muzzle and he ran off into the forest towards Nome, he didn't want to be seen at this point.

"Dad?" Kodi said slowly.

"Yes son?" Balto said equally as slowly.

"What do we do?" Kodi said, still shocked from the event.

"Let's go find Uncle Steele, he needs us." Balto said beginning to walk off towards where Steele went too.

Steele sat behind a tree and cried into his paws. He was so upset that he caused Blake to jump off of the cliff. At that moment, Steele just wanted to die more than ever. Steele then heard paw steps coming towards him, and he chose not to run.

"Steele?" Balto asked walking up to the malamute. Steele only looked up at Balto and then quickly put his head back down. Balto then walked up to Steele and hugged him, and Steele then returned it and put his head on Balto's shoulder and continued to cry onto Balto's shoulder. Kodi sat there and chose to just watch what was going on.

"Steele, it's ok, that wasn't your fault." Balto said trying to comfort the malamute.

"Yes it is Balto, if it wasn't for me, Blake wouldn't have jumped." Steele said through tears.

"Steele, he chose to do that, it wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could do to help at that point." Balto said. Kodi then walked over and tried his best to comfort Steele.

"Uncle Steele, you did the right thing, he was only gonna cause more trouble for you and the rest of us." Kodi said patting Steele's back.

"Steele, you saw how he acted when the vet brought him in, how he seemed sorry for everything but he actually wasn't. He probably did that just to make you feel bad." Balto said. Steele then looked up at Balto and spoke.

"Really Balto? You think so?" Steele said.

"Yes Steele, I do, now let's go home." Balto said with a smile. Steele looked at Balto and smiled as well. All three dogs then began the journey back to Nome.

**So this is chapter 8, sorry for the long wait on this, hope you liked it, leave a comment! **


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